Chapter 7
As we rushed outside, my mind was reeling, thinking of the worst possible injuries Anna could have sustained. Is it a head wound? What if she broke her spine and was paralyzed? Seeing her sitting on the ground outside with Hans at her side was only a small reassurance.
"Anna!" as my sister whipped her head around, her expression a grimace of pain, I felt my stomach clench nervously.
Before she could say anything, I rushed to her side, spotting her badly swollen and awkwardly bent leg. An involuntary gasp escaped from me, and I felt Jack's hands around my shoulders as I knelt on the ground.
"Elsa, don't worry...it only hurts a little bit," Anna said, causing me to look up at her with a snort.
"Only hurts a little bit, my foot! Where's the doctor? She needs medical attention immediately!"
"Right here," a voice from behind me sounded, and I turned my head to see a middle-aged man walking towards us with a briefcase in hand. "Dr. Rafferty, if you may," he added, introducing himself.
"Make room," he said brusquely, and while Hans and Jack moved to get out of his way, I stayed put, refusing his request.
The doctor gave me a probing look before getting to work, moving Anna's leg and asking her questions like: Does it hurt when I do this? Do you think you can stand? Anna could not do much but sit and say she was in pain.
"The bone has broken," the doctor finally said, opening his briefcase to take items out. "I will set it and use a splint to keep it in place. Is this your place of residence?
Anna shook her head, and the doctor sighed.
"Well then, it will be a very painful experience for her to be moved from this house at the moment, but in about a week it may be possible."
No, no, this could not be true. I would not let her stay here, not in this mysterious house. Especially with that Hans character. I would not have it.
"I'm afraid she's going to have to be moved, Dr. Rafferty. Our place of residence is just down the road across the moor," I said immediately, setting my mouth into a hard line.
"It actually wouldn't be a problem for her to stay, sir," Hans interjected, and at that moment, I wanted to hit him on his snide little face.
The doctor looked at both of us in turns, then sighed and said, "I have to say, if it truly is no problem for this young man, she will have to stay. Any rocking movement, such as in a carriage or on horseback, could make the injury worse and cause a terrible amount of pain for her."
I gave a sharp look to Hans, who returned my glare with the tiniest bit of smugness that I felt only I could detect. When my gaze pulled away I met Jack's face, who looked a bit concerned at the doctor's proposal. I had expected him to be quite alright with this arrangement, but instead he looked rather agitated. Before I could say anything to him, Anna cleared her throat.
"I can still speak, you know. And I say it's perfectly fine for me to stay here for a week. It's quite pleasant with the right company." She flashed not her regular beaming smile, but at least gave a go at it, coming up with a sort of pained grin.
I was still thoroughly against the doctor's statement, much like Jack seemed to be, but couldn't protest any longer. The doctor was already putting his hands on Anna's leg, preparing to set it.
"It might hurt just a tad bit," he murmured, and Anna took my hand right before she screamed and I felt the circulation from my wrist get cut off.
"Are you sure you'll be alright, being here all alone?"
"Elsa, you're making it sound like this manor is a prison," my sister said, a gentle smile caressing her face. I looked down at my hands, hold together tightly in my lap.
"I—I just want you to be safe," I replied, taking one hand of hers and squeezing it softly.
"I'll be fine, Elsa. I promise."
And with one last look, I stepped from the room.
As I walked down the hall, my thoughts were only on Anna. Staying at the manor would be perfectly okay, I reassured myself. The Overland family is very kind, though I have not heard from them for a while now. As I passed a room with the door opened only a crack, something caught my eye.
A glint from the sun reflecting on something. It was sharp but not very noticeable, and I would've passed it off as something irrelevant if not for the fact that I was in this suspicious manor and I wanted answers. Looking around first to see if anyone was around, I stepped closer and opened the door to enter.
It was a bedchamber with a strong theme of red. Red curtains, red bedcovers, red carpet, red armchair in the corner. I wondered whose it was. Definitely not Jack's. He had said his favorite color had been white. The glint from the sun reflected off my eyes again and I recaptured my purpose for coming inside here.
I looked around, particularly in the direction of where the door had been cracked open, and found a desk there, with few papers but many baubles sitting on its surface. But only one item really caught my eye.
It was a small, silver box, no bigger than a closed fist. Circular in shape, it had curvy designs inscribed on its sides and its top, giving off a refined feel. It contrasted with everything else in the room, which all consisted of stately reds and golds. What was it doing there, and what was inside? I could only answer one of those questions at the moment.
After checking around once more for anybody coming, I reached my hand out to take the box, which felt surprisingly light for such a material. My hands shook as I twisted off the cap...
And it was powder. Quite plain-looking, silvery-gray powder. It didn't seem all intriguing at first, but since I couldn't place what it was, I just asked more questions.
The only choice I had was to take some. Of course whomever this room belonged to would notice if the box went missing, so I went scrounging around the desk for an envelope and once found, put some of the powder inside and sealed the paper. After that, it was easy to conceal in the many folds of my garment.
I was getting ahead and making discoveries. I felt as if nothing could stop me. Nothing except, perhaps, the man I now spotted rounding the corner to the hallway I was walking through.
The corners of his mouth lifted at the sight of me, and I couldn't help but smile in return, a warm feeling settling into my chest as he walked closer. Jackson Overland was a man who could quite possibly unravel and charm me away from pursuing my current investigation if I let him. And every time we spoke, oh how I wanted to surrender.
"Elsa! Leaving already?"
"Yes, well, it does take a little while to get back to the manor; I wouldn't want to be caught in the dark riding," I replied, moving to give a small curtsy as he stopped his trot towards me.
"Afraid of the dark? That's surprising, considering you're not afraid to sneak around someone's home."
My throat closed as his words met my ears. Had he seen me walking out of that bedchamber? Did he know that I'd been poking around? Come on, think of something to say! I told myself.
"How come you look so petrified, Elsa? I was just talking about you poking your nose in my library earlier. Or were you doing other suspicious things?" His tone, I realized, was purely playful, and I felt my shoulders relax as I tried to think of a clever reply.
"Oh. Oh! Yes, no of course. I just—yes, I suppose so. I really must be going now, Mr. Overland." I moved to walk past him.
"Then let me escort you," he said, turning and starting to walk beside me. Drat. At least he still hadn't noticed I was acting horrendously nervous.
I could only manage a small smile toward him in reply, and that was when his brows furrowed and I got even more anxious than before.
"Anything troubling you, Elsa?" We started down the stairs.
"No, no, just a bit tired is all. Stressful day."
"Oh. Of course. What with Anna's fall and Hans being the way he is—"
Stricken by the mention of Hans, I lost my footing. My foot slipped on a step and I quite possibly could've been injured, if not for Jack. His arms wrapped around me, his body bracing mine and stopping my fall. Why, oh why did he have to be so...so kind? So likable?
I clung to him, my heart rate slowly coming down from the adrenaline rush. He was looking down at my face, his brows furrowed and his mouth formed into that of concern.
"Elsa! Are you sure you're alright? Maybe I should accompany you back to your home, or call on a doctor..."
"No, no!" I pushed away from him quickly, moving across the stairs to grab a handrail. When I realized that I had raised my voice, I said, "There really is no need, Jack. Just allow me to take my leave."
My eyes tore from his as I practically sprinted down the stairs to get home.
A/N: Really sorry about the slow updates. And this chapter is terribly short. I'm a hypocrite because I don't like it when people don't update their stories, but I update mine like once in a blue moon. I might do a double update this time, though. Thinking of taking down My Perfect Imperfection. I don't have any ideas for the plot, and I haven't updated in so long...Eh. We'll see.
